There are many fan games based on The Legend of Zelda. Some games consist of entirely original material, while some others are re-makes of existing games. However, due to legal issues, many such projects have been shut down before completion. Naturally, all these games are to be considered non-canonical.

Another popular focus of fan game creators are hacks of Zelda games. Older games are easily malleable due to their availability on ROMs. Hacks feature alterations such as graphics and different dialogue.

Contents

Original Fan Games

The Legend of Zelda: A Hero's Fantasy

The Legend of Zelda: A Hero's Fantasyis a completed fan game in a 2D style taking influence from Link's Awakening and Minish Cap. The game contains over 8 bosses, over 12 different locations/areas and over 10 unique items. The game play varies from multiple puzzle solving, platform jumping, different fighting styles, and phantom racing. In this game, Link is in a corrupted dimension that contains many paradoxical enemies, locations and items. This distortion is caused by evil finally taking control over. Link's destiny is to erase this realm and to return it to how it was, thus making Link, the hero of "non-existence". The game uses the ASDW keys as arrow keys and the mouse as a "pointer" (similar to the touchscreen of Phantom Hourglass). The game also uses the space bar as the key to activate items. The game is very challenging and very rewarding.

Hyrule Online

Hyrule Online was one of the few Zelda MMORPGs ever made. Two base classes, Warrior and Mage, were available. The graphics were somewhat high-definition 2D, and the layout of the various locations in the game was based mostly upon The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The game once could be found at hyruleonline.net (now dead).

Hyrule: Total War

Hyrule: Total War is a mod for Medieval 2: Total War that takes place during the Hyrule Civil War. Using both warfare and diplomacy, the player takes control of one of nineteen armies in a fight for control over Hyrule. Some of the playable factions are Hylians, Gerudo, Gorons, Zoras, Kokiri, Sheikah, Deku, Twili, Oocca, Fairies, and Goblins. Depending on the faction the player chooses, he/she will be able to summon different characters from the series to battle, such as Link, Ganon, Zelda, and Midna.

Kakashi: The Search for Tingle

Kakashi: The Search for Tingle is a fan made game based on the Tingle spin-off series. It is a sequel to Color Changing Tingle's Love Balloon Trip, the third in the series. The game's main character is Kakashi, one of Tingle's friends, rather than Tingle himself. The story outline reveals that Tingle was kidnapped by a group of Salona during the yearly Halloween party, and his closest friend, Kakashi, sees the event, but fails to rescue him. In the aftermath that ensues, he sets out on a quest in order to save Tingle, as well as find out why he was kidnapped in the first place.

Kousou Games

The Final Challenge is an A Link to the Past style fan game created as an entry to a competition held by ZFGC in 2005. The player can take control of four different characters - Link himself, a Zora, a Goron or a Deku Scrub - with gameplay and dungeons differing depending on the choice of character.

WIP: Zelda: Just Beginning the team's first attempt at creating a true full length style Zelda game, the first demo is available to download from the website. It uses graphics based off the Game Boy ColorZelda games, and has support for PC game pads. Members from the fansite Just Zelda have been offered cameo roles in the game.

WIP: Zelda Bomberman Online is a version of the classic game Bomberman, remade with Zelda themed graphics. It features online multiplayer.

Maze Minigames is a fairly simple game, where the player has to guide Link through a completely randomly generated maze.

The Legend of Minish

The Legend of Minish is a game made by Rebekah Bicking intended as a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. It features as its main character Mirari, a Minish in the land of Pikkoru, who has to travel through the worlds of Minish and "big folk" alike in order to stop the revival of Wind Sorcerer Vaati. The release date has yet to be set, but is scheduled to be out for alpha gameplay sometime in 2016.

The Legend of Princess is an indie action-platformer homage to The Legend of Zelda. The game controls a character similar to Link and fights enemies inspired by the Zelda series. It resembles a Game Boy Advance game with vivid colors and 16-bit chiptune-like music and sound effects.

The Legend of Zelda: Hall of the Undead

The Legend of Zelda: Hall of the Undead is a fan game utilizing original art and remixed music. The entire game takes place in one dungeon.

The Legend of Zelda: Return of the Hylian Trilogy

The Legend of Zelda: Return of the Hylian / Oni-Link Begins / Time to Triumph is a trilogy of fan games that take place after the events of A Link to the Past. Originally made in French in C++ by Vincent Jouillat, it was translated to English by Lobaluz. The games utilizes many graphics and pieces of music from A Link to the Past. Additionally, Oni-Link Begins utilizes music from other games and has a cameo appearence by Pit from Kid Icarus. Time to Triumph has been released in English, introducing a past, present, and future concept using the Ocarina. This game brings the trilogy to a close and is much more expansive than the previous two. In addition to the Windows version, the games have been ported to the following platforms: MacOS, Amiga OS 4, Linux, Pandora, Sony PSP, and the Dingoo A320.

The Legend of Zelda: The Cipher of Time

Legend of Zelda: The Cipher of Time is an upcoming game designed by A.M. Games for their upcoming website. The game utilizes a 2-dimensional graphical style with the classic top-down perspective. The events of the game transpire shortly after the events of, and utilizes a gameplay system similar to that of A Link to the Past. It differs from said in that it allows the player to equip three items at one time rather than one. A key game feature is the the titular Cipher of Time, which allows the user to travel through time. The game's programmer has confirmed that the furthest possible time that can be traveled to is the same age in which The Wind Waker is set. This gameplay system has been stated by the programmer to likely be "the most complex Zelda gameplay you will see," as anything done in the past will affect present day Hyrule.

The Legend of Zelda: The Fallen Sage

The Legend of Zelda: The Fallen Sage is a fan made game created by undyingnephalim and Cosmic Revenues using the program RPG Maker XP. It details the journey of Link as he befriends a group of other characters tied up into a series of tragic events that threaten the Kingdom of Hyrule. The game has become popular in gaming forums, and its most noteworthy features are the inclusion of multiple playable characters, a series of villains, and a Final Fantasy style battle system.

Characters

The primary antagonist is set up to be Sulkaris, the Fallen Sage. She is one of the first Sages created by the Goddesses, and is the ancestor of Saria.

Two sub-villains mentioned in the forums are recognized as Lord Akazoo Vapith and Evaleen, the first Sage of Shadow.

Dark Link is featured on the game's cover art and many of the Beta screenshots, he was created by Mido to hunt down Link, although he is now acting on his own.

Ten playable characters including Link, Princess Zelda, Darunia, and Saria. Non-canon characters that are mentioned in the forums are Liyer; a young Hylian girl, Zaleen; a Zora Priest, Salfoss; an assassin, Annara; a bow-wielding bounty hunter from Ordon, and Felonius; an exotic magician.

A picture of the Overworld is featured on the official forums and reveals that the game takes place within the Kingdom of Hyrule as well as adjacent lands such as Ordona Province, Lanayru Province, and the Misery Mire, which is now home to the Gohma.

Setting

The Fallen Sage is set in a version of Hyrule preparing for war. Locations from several official Zelda games appear in this game.

Gameplay

The Fallen Sage operates under a turn based battle system unlike other Zelda games, but alike Square Enix's popular Final Fantasy franchise. Animated attack scenes were eventually added into the otherwise static fight scenes to make them more visually appealing.

Development

The game has been claimed to be in production for over 4 years as of November 2007. Discussions with the game's presumed creator undyingnephalim state that the Fallen Sage was originally a mod for the game Warcraft III, and was shifted to various game making engines over the next few years. It wasn't until March of 2007 that the Fallen Sage had finally found a stable program from which to make it with.

Release

The game was released December 25th 2007 for a free, non-profit download. The game was originally intended to be released November 17th, but a huge series of bugs and glitches found during Beta testing required an additional month to fine tune. It's also worth noting several Betas of the game were released and can be found floating around the internet. Due to a glitch in the actual completed project, it can only be played through RPG Maker XP.

The official forum for the Fallen Sage can be found here , though it has not been updated recently.

The Legend of Zelda: The Lampshade of No Real Significance is a fan-made flash video game originally created for Newgrounds by The Super Flash Bros. The game parodies the Legend of Zelda series, with the gameplay consisting of one lengthy trading sequence, a typical convention in the series. A few other Nintendo characters besides Link are included as NPCs, as well as the creators and other famous video game characters, including flash video creator Legendary Frog, who is also referenced by one item being called the Frog of Legend. Link cannot die or get hurt in this game. This was made as a parody for comical reasons.

The Legend of Zelda: Mystery of Solarus DX

The Legend of Zelda: Mystery of Solarus DX is an open source, freeware game that utilizes an original game engine called "Solarus". The gameplay is heavily based on A Link to the Past, to which this game is a sequel. To protect the Triforce and to restore peace, Zelda broke it into eight parts and entrusted each of those to one of eight mysterious children which were then sent all over Hyrule. At the very beginning of the game, Link learns that four of these children have been kidnapped and it falls to him to save the children, as well as Hyrule.

The Legend of Zelda: The Shadowgazer

The Legend of Zelda: The Shadowgazer is a fan game utilizing graphics from The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap and has been in development for over three years, one of the longest of any fan game. The game uses a 3-day cycle similar of the one found within Majora's Mask, but at the end of the cycle it simply starts over again instead of the moon crashing into the ground. This 3-day cycle gives a routine to follow for the NPCs in the game. It also has a horseback combat system. There are currently 2 demos available and a trailer for this fan game; however, the creator, King Mob, has announced that The Shadowgazer will not be a Zelda game, but instead an original game with new characters and story.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Aurelia

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Aurelia is a fan game with the goal to create an authentic 2D The Legend of Zelda fan game with gameplay similar to the one experienced in The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. The game was created using the computer application GameMaker.

Echoes of Aurelia is set in a surrealistic setting meant to make the player wonder and immerse themselves in the world we have imagined. The game is not set to fit within the official timeline.

The Legend of Zelda: The Tower of Spirits

Made by the same developer as "Dark Dawn", the game is set during "The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks",
with Link progressing through the Tower of Spirits with Zelda guided by Anjean. Like "Dark Dawn", the full contents of the story are unknown. The game was set to be released sometime in late 2010.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Fan Game

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Sword

"Zelda: Twilight Sword" is a game being developed by Zevere Interactive (Charlie Mendler) for non-profit.
It is set seven months after Twilight Princess, and is about Link, Zelda, and Midna going further into the Twilight Realm to stop Zant, whose spirit lingers on. No release date has been set, though a short beta dungeon has been completed, and for download at a later time.

ZeldaClassic is a 2D Zelda game engine that is famous for its quest editor that allows fans to create their own Zelda games. Currently, they have a database of 200+ fan-made Zelda games, most of which are fully completed games. Users can create custom backgrounds, enemies, characters, weapons and items using their quest editor, ZQuest.

Zelda Forever

Zelda Forever is a logical game developed by Softendo.com. The game has over 100 levels to complete, enormous world map, secrets, and atmospheric music. Zelda Forever can be found here. A simple puzzle game, no fighting or actual gameplay occurs.

Zelda: Fused Destiny

Zelda: Fused Destiny was a fan game being created by ElementalDeity. It was a combination of a sequel to Majora's Mask and a prequel to Twilight Princess which he says "links the Zelda time line together". The story explains how Dark Link, a creation rejected by Ganondorf, repents his evil ways and aids Link in destroying a new nemesis: Dimora, a foul beast of both Ganondorf and Majora's fused powers. The game was planned to be completed by late 2012.

The Legend of Zelda: Timeless Haven

The Legend of Zelda: Timeless Haven is a completely original story based on an idea by user SteelSlasher (who is no longer involved with development) and is now being developed by several ZU members.

The Legend of Zelda: The Pearl of Darkness

The Legend of Zelda: The Pearl of Darkness was a game by Tamer Koh and Hylian Lemon that graphically looks mostly like Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. The game was never finished but an original storyline and characters were created and also a few dungeons.

Hacks

Ocarina of Time Beta Restoration Project

The Ocarina of Time Beta Restoration Project was a mod/hack by Team Beta Triforce which focuses on restoring the original beta version of Ocarina of Time. Progress has been shown via screenshots, videos, and even savestates for N64 emulators. Things being restored include the Hyrule sewers, equippable Fishing Rod, Temple of Light, Beta Castle Town, obtaining the Triforce, etc. This project was started in May 2008; a public demo was scheduled for release sometime in 2009, and the full game was planned to come out sometime in 2010. This has long since passed. The official website of Team Beta Triforce can be found here.

Another Restoration is in the works by Youtube User "cardioandfriends". However, the creator has said it is just going to restore the features from the BETA, and he will not create the entire game; unlike other restoration projects. The official website for this restoration can be found
here.

Zelda: Project Ura

Zelda: Project Ura was a project of Zeth and his team.
Features include numerous original character models from the beta version, new dungeons and music, new story plots, new items and skills, a replacement fairy companion, and brand new characters.

Zelda: Voyager of Time

The Captain's Trilogy

The Captain's Trilogy is a planned series of three Zelda hacks. Though unnamed, some fans refer to it as such as the player no longer plays a "Link", but rather a captain in the Hylian army. Only the first game, Ruins of Rockvan, has been released, though its creator has apparently given up on it, stating it to be too glitchy and not up to his standards, and stated that "I have moved past Rockvan, as I hear Sipria calling and find myself unable to resist its sweet music." The game features many new graphics, new overworlds, and has been complimented on its dungeon designs. Some information has been released on the second one, currently referred to as "The Puppeteer." Some information and 4 screenshots show Link wielding a crossbow, a soldier's sword and a new shield. The antagonist of the last two games has also been revealed as "The Fallen God of Ice." Not much else is known yet.

The Legend of Zelda: Parallel Worlds is a complete overhaul using A Link to the Past as a starting point for its construction. Originally titled The Tower of the Triforce, a demo was available around 2003 that had used the basic graphics from A Link to the Past but revolved around a drastically different storyline. In the years following the release of the demo, the completion of the game was in question until New Years Eve 2006 when version 1.0 (a full game with completely different graphics) was released after several years work. Since that time the game is still being worked on and has been given a 1.1 patch release and updates on several drastic changes have been made public on one of the creator's websites. Overall, this take on A Link to the Past is a much more difficult affair than any other fan edit and as such is also the fan game that has been longest in production (currently 4-5 years). According to the official site for the game, adjustments are still being made and "[you] can think of this current version as open beta..." An FAQ and game information can be found at the official Parallel Worlds site.

The Legend of Zelda: The Seeds of Time

The Legend of Zelda: The Seeds of Time is a complete hack of Super Mario World by Invisible Coin Block. It is unique in that, although it is based on Super Mario World, it makes use of several Zelda elements, including a working sword, throwable Deku Nuts, a Deku Leaf that allows Link to float over gaps, a boomerang, and bombs. Its current status in production is unknown.

The Omega Hack

The Omega Hack is another A Link to the Past overhaul, albeit not quite finished. This game features new music and sprites but is riddled with many glitches, bugs and unfinished sprites running about in the world. A query for The Omega Hack will often turn it up in most search engines.

Zelda: Bruce Campbell vs Ganon

It has been many years since A Link to the Past and Ganon is back to evil. Link is not around to save the day. So, a new hero has to emerge. This hero is the unlikely Ash from the Evil Dead series. With his witty humor, Ash must fight through dungeons that have been upgraded by Ganon. With new tricks up his sleeve Ash searches Hyrule for items lost long ago. With new puzzles and harder bosses Ash has a lot to go against to finally be the one to bring peace to Hyrule forever. This hack is made by kgp4death as a sequel to Army of Darkness and link to the past. This game also has adult language and is a hack based on link to the past for SNES.
An FAQ and game information can be found at [sites.google.com/site/brucecampbellvsganon/ The official BvG site]

Zelda Challenge: Outlands

Legend of Zelda: A Derp to the Past

A hack of Link to the Past. It replaces Link with the Derpy from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. In addition to this, the bunny form in the Dark World is replaced by Fluttershy's pet bunny, Angel. Some changes to the text in the game are made to better match with this. [1]

Remakes of existing games

Ballad of the Wind Fish

Ballad of the Wind Fish was a work in progress by Jerrel Dulay and attempted to recreate Link's Awakening in full 3D graphics; as of March 2009 the overworld was complete, with an early proof of concept released.

Ocarina of Time 2D (Dampe's version)

Ocarina of Time 2D is another 2D remake of Ocarina of Time. During its development, the game's creator, Richard Denton (net handle "Dampe") was allegedly killed in a car accident and within hours his website was taken down by his family. A Digg article had a "friend" of Denton's claim that he can verify his death, yet another Digg article points out the inconsistencies in the story and broke the news that Denton faked his death online to escape from the pressures of the game creation and all its entrapments. As of 2008, the game is still unreleased but a demo can be found where his site used to be.

Ocarina of Time 2D (TRM version)

Ocarina of Time 2D is a project by Daniel Barras (who posts under the name "TheRealMethuselah" on the Zelda Universe forum). It's a remake of Ocarina of Time featuring the same graphics seen in A Link to the Past. An overview and screenshots once could be found at the game's then new website which can be found in a discussion at Zelda Universe.

Zelda II FPS is a remake of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link as a first-person shooter flash game, created and designed by Michael Johnson. The game uses a first-person view and is rendered in three-dimensional computer graphics; however, it retains the feel of the original game by using textures from the original game, injecting only some new models. The game does not cover the full adventure as seen in Zelda II.